I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the receptor but want to make sure I've got all the bases covered before I do because I'm going to need to sell some gear to get one. There is also no where I can try one so I'm basing my decision purely on features and reviews.
One of the things I really like about the receptor vs a laptop is the load time. If the power dies or the receptor fails for whatever reason, apparently it loads up in about 3 seconds and recalls all the settings prior to the failure but in reality how quickly does the receptor load in this type of situation? I would imagine this will depend on the type of vsts loaded in to the multi patch therefore something like Ivory is going to increase the load time since its sample based. So how does it shape up? What about load times when switching between patches?
Another concern is plugin authorisation. I've not really messed with many commercial software VSTs so I'm not too familiar with the types of copy protection used however its my understanding the Receptor only supports iLok. Do the majority of dongle protection plugins use this type of copy protection? Does each plugin need to be authorised whenever it is loaded (receptor boot up and patch change) and therefore does this increase load times? I've read that some people who use mac or windows live will often buy software but use cracked versions to avoid having to authorise plugins live as apparently authorising can sometimes fail. I wondered if this sort of thing is possible with receptor? This is particularly interesting when you consider a plugin which uses a non-ilok protection scheme as you could buy the software, get a crack and potentially still run it on the receptor.
Which brings me to my next question. The receptor supports a method for installing unsupported/untested vst plugins but how well does this actually work? what sort of problems can you expect? How stable are compatible plugins? Has the receptor ever crashed on you and if so, how often?
How is the latency on the receptor? Is this affected by the number of plugins loaded at once?
The receptor uses pc style hardware with a customised linux os setup for running vst instruments, so it contains a hard drive etc. Therefore how well would it stand up on the road? Would vibrations on stage etc affect its operation?
And finally, are there any other limitiations or problems I should consider?
Lots of questions i know! Any advise would be very much appreciated!
Thanks
Receptor advice needed
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- KVRer
- 25 posts since 19 Nov, 2006 from London
I've been using mine for six months, and it's stood up very well to a lot of travel - including flights to japan and europe. Haven't had any problems so far...
Haven't had any problems with latency either, running four or five plugins at once, including pianos and strings.
The load time is variable, depending on the plugin - I've got the NI Komplete version, and B4 II is up in no time at all, but Akoustik Piano and Elektrik Piano do take a few seconds to load up the samples. Compared to my old Yamaha A3000 it's really quick to load though.
The iLok thing is a one time deal on all the plugins I run. As for unsupported plugins, I've only tried a couple. Either they've been totally fine, or they haven't installed at all.
I'm very happy with my toy so far, although there are limitations on MIDI mapping etc, which mean I've had to make compromises on the way I save my programs.
Haven't had any problems with latency either, running four or five plugins at once, including pianos and strings.
The load time is variable, depending on the plugin - I've got the NI Komplete version, and B4 II is up in no time at all, but Akoustik Piano and Elektrik Piano do take a few seconds to load up the samples. Compared to my old Yamaha A3000 it's really quick to load though.
The iLok thing is a one time deal on all the plugins I run. As for unsupported plugins, I've only tried a couple. Either they've been totally fine, or they haven't installed at all.
I'm very happy with my toy so far, although there are limitations on MIDI mapping etc, which mean I've had to make compromises on the way I save my programs.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 7 posts since 4 Apr, 2008
Hey thanks for the reply. Can you please go in to a little more detail on the midi mapping limitations?citizen020 wrote:I'm very happy with my toy so far, although there are limitations on MIDI mapping etc, which mean I've had to make compromises on the way I save my programs.
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- KVRer
- 25 posts since 19 Nov, 2006 from London
well it's not too bad, really - it's just that you have to decide whether to go with snapshots, which load quickly, but you have to have everything in the same mixer channels for every song in the set, or multis, which take a little bit longer to load.
just means I have to tell the drummer to wait for a few extra seconds before some songs to load up samples...
just means I have to tell the drummer to wait for a few extra seconds before some songs to load up samples...
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- KVRist
- 82 posts since 28 Sep, 2007
i am a receptor owner who is about to give up my receptor for something else (possibly a neko). maybe my insights will help you.
here are my concerns:
load times DO depend on the plug ins used. i've had instances where an unsupported plugin froze the system, so i had to do a restart, so yes i've had to wait for all those plugins to load. please note that i DON'T use snapshots. perhaps that might make things smoother.
if an unsupported plugin is unstable, you'll know pretty quickly. if i know a plugin is bad, i simply don't use it anymore, so i have never had a situation where an unsupported plugin crashed on me at a critical time. i have about 300 unsupported free plugins on my receptor. most of them worked without a problem. some (a very small number) failed to load at all. a few loaded and then when i tried to instantiate them i got an error (like it automatically restarted receptor or errored out because it couldn't find a file).
for non-free plugins, you can usually get a demo copy from the vendor and make sure that it works with receptor before you shell out bucks for the real version.
i have a few premium plugins that use ilok. i haven't had a problem with the process, but i don't like the idea of my ilok sticking out of one of my usb ports, just begging to be broken off. i haven't had any luck using a USB extension cable with the front USB port because of the depth of the ilok. but i haven't had any problems with instantiation via ilok. i also have stylus and colossus and haven't had any problems with their types of authorization.
the main reasons the receptor doesn't work for me:
1) i really don't find the front panel great for navigating through sounds and patches and adusting parameters. so that means i need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor for live use. plus a keyboard. and i like the B4 program--which means i need something else to control the drawbars. it is just so much to hook up. if the receptor supported a touch screen that would make my life easier. i've heard that some people have gotten a touch screen to work, but i don't know the details and probably don't know enough about LINUX to actually implement them.
2) not all windows plugins are supported. perhaps with the next version of the OS (direct install), it will make this less of a big deal, but right now there are a lot of plugins that don't work on receptor that i want to use. its frustrating to read about a plugin that does exactly what i want to do and find out it doesn't work on receptor. there ARE a lot of great plugins that do work, but too many (in my opinion) that don't.
3) a month or so after i bought my receptor with komplete 4 for 2800, they started selling it with komplete 5 for 2400. and even though they offer a free upgrade to komplete 5, its been 6 months and i still can't upgrade to my free copy of komplete 5.
on the plus side, i've found receptor to be really good with running simultaneous plugins and all that. very fast and powerful, no problems with latency. the support of muse has also been much better than any other vendor.
i'm going to a demo of the neko on monday; i hope it will be a better fit for me than receptor.
i, too, was in the same boat as you. there was nowhere around me to demo receptor. i had to be dependent on what advice i could find on the internet. i don't really regret my decision. people gave me some great advice. but it wasn't until i used it for myself that i found that it didn't work for me. clearly, there are a lot of people who like receptor and think it is great. so i am not bad mouthing it or the company. it just didn't work for me.
sweetwater has a 30 day return policy so it may be possible for you to try it and return it if it doesn't work for you.
hopefully this helps you make the right decision for you. if you have any other questions, let me know.
here are my concerns:
load times DO depend on the plug ins used. i've had instances where an unsupported plugin froze the system, so i had to do a restart, so yes i've had to wait for all those plugins to load. please note that i DON'T use snapshots. perhaps that might make things smoother.
if an unsupported plugin is unstable, you'll know pretty quickly. if i know a plugin is bad, i simply don't use it anymore, so i have never had a situation where an unsupported plugin crashed on me at a critical time. i have about 300 unsupported free plugins on my receptor. most of them worked without a problem. some (a very small number) failed to load at all. a few loaded and then when i tried to instantiate them i got an error (like it automatically restarted receptor or errored out because it couldn't find a file).
for non-free plugins, you can usually get a demo copy from the vendor and make sure that it works with receptor before you shell out bucks for the real version.
i have a few premium plugins that use ilok. i haven't had a problem with the process, but i don't like the idea of my ilok sticking out of one of my usb ports, just begging to be broken off. i haven't had any luck using a USB extension cable with the front USB port because of the depth of the ilok. but i haven't had any problems with instantiation via ilok. i also have stylus and colossus and haven't had any problems with their types of authorization.
the main reasons the receptor doesn't work for me:
1) i really don't find the front panel great for navigating through sounds and patches and adusting parameters. so that means i need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor for live use. plus a keyboard. and i like the B4 program--which means i need something else to control the drawbars. it is just so much to hook up. if the receptor supported a touch screen that would make my life easier. i've heard that some people have gotten a touch screen to work, but i don't know the details and probably don't know enough about LINUX to actually implement them.
2) not all windows plugins are supported. perhaps with the next version of the OS (direct install), it will make this less of a big deal, but right now there are a lot of plugins that don't work on receptor that i want to use. its frustrating to read about a plugin that does exactly what i want to do and find out it doesn't work on receptor. there ARE a lot of great plugins that do work, but too many (in my opinion) that don't.
3) a month or so after i bought my receptor with komplete 4 for 2800, they started selling it with komplete 5 for 2400. and even though they offer a free upgrade to komplete 5, its been 6 months and i still can't upgrade to my free copy of komplete 5.
on the plus side, i've found receptor to be really good with running simultaneous plugins and all that. very fast and powerful, no problems with latency. the support of muse has also been much better than any other vendor.
i'm going to a demo of the neko on monday; i hope it will be a better fit for me than receptor.
i, too, was in the same boat as you. there was nowhere around me to demo receptor. i had to be dependent on what advice i could find on the internet. i don't really regret my decision. people gave me some great advice. but it wasn't until i used it for myself that i found that it didn't work for me. clearly, there are a lot of people who like receptor and think it is great. so i am not bad mouthing it or the company. it just didn't work for me.
sweetwater has a 30 day return policy so it may be possible for you to try it and return it if it doesn't work for you.
hopefully this helps you make the right decision for you. if you have any other questions, let me know.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 7 posts since 4 Apr, 2008
I had a look in the receptor manual but cant see anything about snapshots. My understanding is that a multi patch consists of up to 16 single patches, is that correct? How does a snapshot differ?
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 7 posts since 4 Apr, 2008
Thanks for your input MyMusic, thats answered a few of things for me.
I'm aware browsing parameters is probably difficult from the front panel however I will be editing all my sounds before I use it live so this shouldnt be a problem for me.
Is it possible though to map controls from a midi keyboard to a parameter on a specific plugin as real time parameter control from my midi keyboard is essential when playing live?
For example say I had a few plugins loaded such as Ivory, Massive and Zebra2. Would I be able to map one of the knobs on my midi controller so that it controls the filter cutoff in massive then another knob that controls another parameter in zebra2?
I'm aware browsing parameters is probably difficult from the front panel however I will be editing all my sounds before I use it live so this shouldnt be a problem for me.
Is it possible though to map controls from a midi keyboard to a parameter on a specific plugin as real time parameter control from my midi keyboard is essential when playing live?
For example say I had a few plugins loaded such as Ivory, Massive and Zebra2. Would I be able to map one of the knobs on my midi controller so that it controls the filter cutoff in massive then another knob that controls another parameter in zebra2?
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- KVRist
- 82 posts since 28 Sep, 2007
correct-a multi consists of up to 16 patches. a snapshot (which i've never actually used) somehow allows you to move between multis quicker somehow. but there is a cost.
i think snapshots were introduced in OS 1.5, so depending on what version of the manual you are looking at, you might not see it. there are two features zload and snapshots that allow you more quickly load and switches patches, but you may not be able to edit parameters of a plugin or something like that.
http://www.museresearch.com/news.php?id=87
there is also a really good article in keyboard mag that tells some clever ways to use receptor and talks about zload and snapshots:
http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/use- ... g-07/30456
i was able to map midi controllers to my B4 plugin's drawbars, but that was done in the B4 edit screen, not anything specific to the receptor. so i think it is a function of Ivory/Massive/Zebra, not that receptor, as to whether you can map parameters to Midi controllers.
the way i was using receptor was that i had a small series of sounds that i used that i loaded into memory at the start of my session and as i needed to use them i would mute/unmute channels. if they are muted they don't use CPU. this would allow me to enable/disable plugins very quickly without having to load them in right as i am trying to use them. it's not a problem for me to take a 3 minute hit to load in akoustik and kontakt samples prior to a gig and then have them available throughout my session. muting/unmuting CAN be done from the front panel, but not as easy as with a mouse and a computer screen. snapshots might make it easier to do, but i can't make any realtime changes to my sounds. for some sounds that is not a problem, but if i want to add tremolo to an electric piano or adjust organ settings (two VERY common things to do for those instruments), i can't do it. so that is a show stopper for me.
i think snapshots were introduced in OS 1.5, so depending on what version of the manual you are looking at, you might not see it. there are two features zload and snapshots that allow you more quickly load and switches patches, but you may not be able to edit parameters of a plugin or something like that.
http://www.museresearch.com/news.php?id=87
there is also a really good article in keyboard mag that tells some clever ways to use receptor and talks about zload and snapshots:
http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/use- ... g-07/30456
i was able to map midi controllers to my B4 plugin's drawbars, but that was done in the B4 edit screen, not anything specific to the receptor. so i think it is a function of Ivory/Massive/Zebra, not that receptor, as to whether you can map parameters to Midi controllers.
the way i was using receptor was that i had a small series of sounds that i used that i loaded into memory at the start of my session and as i needed to use them i would mute/unmute channels. if they are muted they don't use CPU. this would allow me to enable/disable plugins very quickly without having to load them in right as i am trying to use them. it's not a problem for me to take a 3 minute hit to load in akoustik and kontakt samples prior to a gig and then have them available throughout my session. muting/unmuting CAN be done from the front panel, but not as easy as with a mouse and a computer screen. snapshots might make it easier to do, but i can't make any realtime changes to my sounds. for some sounds that is not a problem, but if i want to add tremolo to an electric piano or adjust organ settings (two VERY common things to do for those instruments), i can't do it. so that is a show stopper for me.
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- KVRer
- 25 posts since 19 Nov, 2006 from London
have you tried using the faceless mode to assign controllers? you can choose parameters for each instrument slot, and MIDI CCs 16-31 on the relevant channel take control of them.MyMusic42 wrote:snapshots might make it easier to do, but i can't make any realtime changes to my sounds. for some sounds that is not a problem, but if i want to add tremolo to an electric piano or adjust organ settings (two VERY common things to do for those instruments), i can't do it. so that is a show stopper for me.
I don't use the front panel controls at all during a set, and I wouldn't want the hassle of setting up a mouse and monitor - I just have a lot of controllers set up for the settings where I need real-time control.